Sensor system and methods for improved quantitation of environmental parameters

ABSTRACT

A system and method employing optical disk drives for quantitative analysis of chemical and biochemical parameters, in which sensor materials disposed on an optical disk are responsive to physical, chemical, biochemical, and other parameters in the environment. The light interacts with the sensor materials when the light propagates through the sensor material, reflects off the optical media&#39;s reflective layer, and propagates back through the sensor region. The interacted light is captured by a photodetector, which outputs a response analog signal, for example, an analog voltage signal, which is indicative of a condition of the environment to which the sensor materials have been exposed. The system includes software algorithms which cause the laser source and optical detector to move to a specified location or logical block address of the disk, measure the optical signal during disk rotation, display a map of the sensor material response, and reduce the noise level in the measured signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/915,890, filed Aug. 12, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,271,913 which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/723,534, filed Nov. 24, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,170,609. The disclosures of both of these prior U.S. patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for carrying out optical analysis of samples, and in particular relates to the measurement of changes in sensor materials for the quantitation of chemical and biological compounds in fluids and/or changes in physical parameters of the environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sensor methods and devices for quantification of volatile and nonvolatile compounds in fluids are known in the art. Typically, quantification of these parameters is performed using dedicated sensor systems that are specifically designed for this purpose. These sensor systems operate using a variety of principles including electrochemical, optical, acoustic, and magnetic. For example, a variety of spectroscopic sensors operating with colorimetric liquid and solid reagents are available to perform evaluation of color change.

It is known that conventional CD/DVD (compact disk/digital video disk) drives can be used for conducting optical inspection of biological, chemical, and biochemical samples. However, in order to make these drives useful for detection of parameters not related to digital data stored on optical media, the optical system of the drives must be modified. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,577 describes an optical disk drive, which is modified to obtain the information related to chemical and biochemical detection. This modification included an addition of one or two more detectors that are used for transmission measurements. An original detector of the drive is used to read the digital address on the disk associated with the analyte-sensitive region. Added detectors operating in transmission mode provide information on the sample to be inspected. This information from additional detectors can be quantitative with 256 grey levels.

As the use of CD/DVD drives has developed, the development of sensors in conjunction with optical storage media has also developed for the use in CD/DVD drives. For operation of such a modified optical disk drive, special optical disks are prepared. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,031 discloses optical disks having a semi-reflective layer to reflect a portion of light to one detector and transmit a portion of light to another detector.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,349 describes another optical drive based measurement system. In this system, analyte-specific signal elements are disposed with the optical disk's tracking features. Thus, the analyte-specific signal elements are readable by the optics used for tracking, although modified or additional optics elements are added. For the system to be applicable, a signal responsive moiety is of a small size, compatible with the size of the focused light beam of the optical drive and is reflective. Most preferably, the signal response moiety is a gold microsphere with a diameter between one and three micrometers. The assay type used in this optical detection system is of a binary nature (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,349 column 15, lines 23-37) and is not easily emendable to quantitative analysis based on light absorbance, reflection, scatter, or other optical phenomena.

Another method has also been described to screen the recognition between small molecule ligands and biomolecules using a conventional CD player. A procedure was developed to attach ligands to the reading face of a CD by activating the terminus of polycarbonate, a common polymer composite, within the reading face of the CD. Displays were generated on the surface of a CD by printing tracks of ligands on the disk with an inkjet printer. Using this method, disks were created with entire assemblies of ligand molecules distributed into separate blocks. A molecular array was developed by assembling collections of these blocks to correlate with the CD-ROM-XA formatted data stored within the digital layer of the disk. Regions of the disk containing a given ligand or set of ligands were marked by a spatial position using the tracking and header information. Recognition between surface express ligands and biomolecules was screened by an error determination routine (see Org. Biomol. Chem., 1, 3244-3249 (2003)).

Different types of analyte-specific signal elements are also known in the art. International patent application WO 99/35499 describes the use of colloidal particles, microbeads, and the regions generated by a corrosive attack on one or several layers of a compact disk as a result of binding between the target molecule and its non-cleavable capture molecule. The analyte-specific signal elements can be arranged in arrays, for example, combinatorial arrays (International Patent Application WO 98/12559). In addition to the solid and gel types of analyte-specific signal elements, other types include the liquid-containing regions (Gamera Bioscience System, see: Anal. Chem. 71 4669-4678 (1999)).

In a related art, remote automated sensors have been employed for a variety of applications ranging from the cost-effective monitoring of industrial processes, to the determination of chemicals toxic to humans at locations of interest, to analysis of processes in difficult-to-access locations. For these and many other reasons, a wide variety of sensors have been reported that operate in the automatic, unattended mode. For example, sensors were reported that operate remotely for detection of toxic vapors, uranium ions, and many other species. Measurements have also been done remotely in space on manned and unmanned spacecraft.

Remote measurement systems can be initiated and monitored via the Internet where a dedicated sensor is connected to a computer that receives commands via the Internet as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,913, 6,002,996, 6,182,497, 6,311,214, 6,332,193, 6,360,179, 6,405,135, and 6,422,061. Generally, upon receiving a command, the computer initiates a sensor that is specifically designed to perform a sensing function and is connected to the computer. The sensor performs the measurement, the computer receives the sensor signal, and optionally, sends the signal back to a control station.

Automated computer-controlled sensors for remote unattended operation known in the art have two distinct components. These components are (1) a sensor itself and (2) a computer. These components are designed and built to perform initially separate functions and further are combined into a remotely operated sensor system. The limitations of such approach include development of a sensor itself, and its adaptation for computer control.

In quantitative operation of a sensor, the accuracy of determinations often depends on the ability to provide an interference-free response. The interferences can arise from a variety of sources and can include chemical and environmental interferences. The ability to provide accurate data improves with the increase of the information content or dimensionality of the collected data per sensor region. Sensors or analytical instruments can be classified according to the type of data they provide as zero-, first-, second-, third- and higher dimension (or order) instruments. Such classification of analytical instruments is well accepted by those skilled in the art.

A measurement approach that generates a single data point per sensor region is a zero-order instrument. Such instrument generates a single data point which us a zero-order data array. A single number is a zero-order tensor known in mathematics.

First order measurement systems generate a string of multiple measurements across sensor region or per other parameter such as time, wavelength, etc. For example, first order (one-dimensional) measurements can be done across a sensor region to generate several data points across a cross-section of the sensor region. Other examples of first order (one-dimensional) measurements can be done over one sensor region as a function of wavelength or time.

Second order (two-dimensional) measurement systems generate two dimensions of multiple measurements per sensor region. For example, measurements can be done to image the whole sensor region to generate multiple data points in X and Y directions (or radial and angular distance) of the sensor region. Other examples of second order (two-dimensional) measurement systems can include measurements of multiple data points across one cross-section of sensor region as a function of another spatial direction, or wavelength, or time. Thus, second order measurement systems generate a matrix of an instrument response upon the change of two independent types of variables.

Third order (three-dimensional) measurement systems generate a matrix of an instrument response upon the change of three independent types of variables. In our example, three independent types of variables are two spatial coordinates that describe a sensor region and time. In this case, the sensor region is effectively imaged as a function of time. Thus, a response of the third-order system is a 2-D matrix of an instrument response upon the change of two independent types of variables which is further recorded when changed by the third independent variable.

Existing optical analysis techniques have not been entirely satisfactory for the measurement of multiple chemically sensing regions because, as mentioned above, the optical disk drive systems used by these methods often require costly and labor intensive modifications to carry out automated analysis of time critical samples.

Attempts have been made to design improved apparatus for rapid analysis of large numbers of test samples, but such analyzers are relatively expensive and usually require specialized detector instrumentation. Designing a relatively simple and cost effective system to analyze multiple samples has heretofore been difficult to achieve.

Thus, there exists a strong need for a simplified device that can easily be used to carry out optical analysis of multiple quantitative assays and/or other biological, chemical, and physical environmental parameters with high reproducibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and method employing optical disk drives for quantitative analysis of chemical and biochemical parameters. Unlike other conventional optical drive-based systems, the detection method and associated detection system of the present disclosure utilizes a conventional disk drive with an optical pickup that performs its original function of reading digital data stored on a disk and has the additional functionality of providing quantitative data about the change of an environmental parameter provided from at least one sensor region located on the disk.

According to one aspect, an optical media sensor system is provided for quantifying compounds. The system includes a robotic arm capable of transporting an optical medium between a plurality of stations, and an optical media reader capable of determining a quantity of at least one compound or physical property on the optical medium.

According to another aspect, an optical media sensor system for quantifying compounds is provided. The system includes a robotic arm capable of transporting an optical medium between a first station at which the robotic arm picks up optical medium in succession and a second station at which the optical medium is exposed to a source of the compounds. The robotic arm also transports the optical medium between a third station at which excess amounts of the source are removed, a fourth station at which the optical medium is read, and a fifth station at which the optical medium is discarded. The system also includes an optical media reader capable of determining a quantity of at least one compound on the optical medium at the fourth station.

According to another aspect, a system for optically determining the quantity of one or more compounds on one or more sensors is provided. The system includes a computing device and an optical media drive (such as DVD, CD, BLU-RAY DISC®, super audio CD, hybrid disc, and any other drive that reads optical media articles) located external to the computing device. The DVD drive is capable of optically reading an optical medium upon which are located the one or more sensors. The DVD drive is in communication with the computing device.

According to another aspect, a method for determining the quantity of one or more compounds on one or more sensors is provided. The method includes remotely retrieving an optical medium having one or more sensors from a first station, exposing the optical medium to a source of the compounds at a second station, and reading the optical medium in an optical drive.

According to another aspect, a method for determining the quantity of one or more compounds on one or more sensors is provided. The method includes remotely retrieving an optical medium having one or more sensors from a first station, exposing the optical medium to a source of the compounds at a second station, removing excess amounts of the source from the optical medium at a third station, and reading the optical medium in an optical drive at a fourth station.

According to another aspect, a method for optically determining the quantity of one or more compounds on one or more sensors is provided. The method includes optically scanning an optical medium, having at least one sensor sensitive to the presence of a compound, in a stand-alone optical drive, and transmitting the output of the optical scan from the stand-alone optical drive to a computing device for quantifying the compound.

The present invention also provides system control software incorporating signal processing algorithms adapted to: (1) move the laser-detector optical head of a conventional CD disk drive to a specified logical block address (LBA) during spinning of the disk; (2) measure the corresponding optical signal during disk rotation; (3) display a map or image of the optical response of the sensor material; (4) calculate average response vectors of several regions along the measurement sector to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in the measured signal; and (5) correlate the optical response to a condition of the sensor material or to a condition of an environment to which the sensor material has been exposed.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a system for quantifying compounds in fluids, gases, liquids, or solids is provided, wherein the system comprises a disk drive for supporting and rotating an optical disk having a plurality of sensor regions, a light source for directing light onto the plurality of sensor regions, at least one optical pickup for detecting light transmitted from the sensor regions, thereby capturing an intensity or other measurable property of such transmitted light after the light has interacted with the sensor region, and an analog-to-digital converter for quantifying the response signal of the interacted light.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the optical signal captured by the optical detector is recorded using an analog-to-digital interface connected to a controlling computer. In this way, the change in the output signal as the optical head passes over a sensor material can be correlated to a condition of the sensor material or to a condition of the environment to which the sensor material has been exposed. Depending on the application, the sensor regions can be responsive to physical, chemical, biochemical, and/or other changes in the environment.

The present invention and its advantages over the prior art will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates parameters that quantitatively affect a level of signal produced from a disc including a physical and chemical/biochemical sensor;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of an exemplary system for quantification of physical parameters, chemical and biochemical volatile and nonvolatile compounds using trigger-based detection;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of an exemplary system for quantification of physical parameters, chemical and biochemical volatile and nonvolatile compounds using a non-trigger-based detection;

FIG. 3A is a top plan view of a disc including a plurality of sensor spots;

FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of an optical disc containing a sensor spot;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for quantification of physical and chemical and biochemical volatile and nonvolatile compounds in fluids in off-line mode;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for quantification of physical and chemical and biochemical volatile and nonvolatile compounds in fluids in on-line mode;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating quantitative signal detection using a trigger-based method where time indicates the relative distance on the optical disc;

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating quantitative signal detection using a non-trigger-based method where time indicates the relative distance on the optical disc;

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating quantitative signal detection of an unexposed disc where time in microseconds indicates the relative distance on the optical disc;

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating time-dependent change in optical signal of two adjacent sensor spots on an optical disc surface exposed to 0.03% bleach where time in microseconds indicates the relative distance on the optical disc;

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating changes in an optical signal of a sensor spot for detection of NH4⁺ where time in microseconds indicates the relative distance on the optical disc;

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating on-line detection of vapors using a single sensor spot on an optical disc;

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating a response of a DVD-based sensor to a change in chemical composition of fluid samples, wherein an amount of collected light (exposure response) is related to water content in a solvent (1-methoxy-2-propanol) as measured with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) sensor films;

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating improvement of signal precision in varying methods for quantifying compounds in fluids;

FIG. 14 is diagram of a networked sensor system;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an operation of the networked sensor system;

FIG. 16 is a graph illustrating typical absorbance of spectra of Rhodamine 800 laser dye in Nafion in a form of a cast film in dry and humid air;

FIG. 17 illustrates signal changes of a sensor in presence of different amounts of ambient water vapor around the sensor (0% RH and˜−80% RH) as a function of measurement time;

FIG. 18 illustrates results of remote quantification of chemical species as a function of measurement time;

FIG. 19 illustrates a system for remotely quantifying compounds constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20 is a side view of an optical medium retrieving device of the system of FIG. 19 at a station stocked with a plurality of optical medium;

FIG. 21 is a side view of the optical medium retrieving device of the system of FIG. 19 at a station for exposing the optical medium to one or more compounds;

FIG. 22 is a side view of an optical medium retrieving device of the system of FIG. 19 at a station for analyzing the exposed optical medium;

FIG. 23 illustrates a front panel of a LABVIEW® program for automatically controlling an optical medium reader;

FIG. 24 illustrates a measurement of laser output synchronized with the opening and closing of an optical medium reader;

FIG. 25 illustrates a system for quantifying compounds constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 26 illustrates output from a USB digital oscilloscope;

FIG. 27A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for quantification of sensor material by scanning the entire surface of an optical disk in specified radial increments;

FIG. 27B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for quantification of sensor material by scanning only specified regions of interest of an optical disk;

FIG. 28 is a photograph illustrating an optical disk with a reference gray-scale pattern impressed thereon;

FIG. 29A is a plot illustrating scanning results of the gray-scale pattern of FIG. 28, wherein the vertical axis represents a quantity of radial positional increments, and the horizontal axis represents time units for scanning the sensor region per revolution of the disk, and wherein the results are distorted by differences in the spinning speed of the disk at each radial position;

FIG. 29B is a plot illustrating scanning results of the gray-scale pattern of FIG. 28, wherein the results are normalized by changing the sampling rate based on radial position;

FIG. 30 is a plot illustrating a selection box for selecting a representative region of the scanning results for advanced data processing;

FIG. 31A is a graph illustrating signal detection with no software or hardware filters, wherein the vertical axis represents arbitrary units of a DVD signal, and the horizontal axis represents time units for scanning the sensor region per revolution of the disk;

FIG. 31B is a graph illustrating signal detection with a one microsecond hardware filter;

FIG. 32A is a graph illustrating an average waveform of multiple signals detected from a gray-scale pattern, wherein the horizontal axis represents time units for scanning the sensor region per revolution of the disk;

FIG. 32B is a graph illustrating averaging of multiple signals from a region of interest;

FIG. 33A is a photograph illustrating an optical disk with a complicated geometrical pattern impressed thereon;

FIG. 33B is a plot illustrating scanning results of a complicated geometrical pattern, wherein the vertical axis represents a quantity of radial positional increments, and the horizontal axis represents time units for scanning the sensor region per revolution of the disk; and

FIG. 34 is a plot illustrating scanning results of a complicated geometrical pattern, wherein the vertical axis represents a quantity of radial positional increments, and the horizontal axis represents time units for scanning the sensor region per revolution of the disk.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention in unnecessary detail.

This invention uses an optical disc drive as a sensor readout device and provides quantitative information from an optical disc about variable optical properties of predetermined spatial locations on the disc. These predetermined spatial locations on the optical disc are defined as “sensor spots”. Depending on the application, the sensor spots are responsive to physical, chemical, biochemical, and other changes in the environment. The light that propagates through the sensor spot, reflects off the optical media's reflective layer, and propagates back through the sensor spot prior to detection and is modulated proportional to the change of various conditions, for example, a change proportional to the concentration of a compound affecting the sensor spot. The light intensity will be read by the optical disc drive to quantify the amount of the compound. In addition to intensity changes, other light parameters are used for quantitation in the sensor spot such as light polarization state, and the direction of the propagation of light after interaction with the sensor spot.

A variety of physical, chemical, biochemical and environmental parameters quantitatively affect the level of signal produced by the sensor spots on an optical disc. These parameters can be grouped as optical and non-optical parameters, as shown in FIG. 1. Optical parameters include optical properties of the measured sample, for example, its refractive index, absorbance, polarization, scatter, and any other optical parameters of the sample or induced by the sample on the sensor spots. The non-optical parameters are those contributing from, for example, sample thickness and sample morphology, as well as from the performance of the optical disc drive, such as beam defocusing and detector gain.

By altering the optical and non-optical properties, sensor spots can be employed to detect non-chemical parameters of the environment. Non-limiting examples of these parameters include physical, mechanical, dielectric, electric, magnetic, and other non-chemical parameters. More specific examples are temperature, viscosity, pressure, oxidation-reduction potential, permeability, molecular weight, porosity, hydrophobicity, surface energy, solution conductivity, etc.

Changes in refractive index can be produced by different amounts of swelling of a sensor material upon an uptake of a sample, when a liquid of a refractive index different from that of the sample is diffused into the sample. For example, swelling of poly (hydroxy-ethyl) methacrylate upon exposure to water changes the refractive index as a function of exposure time. Additionally, changes in refractive index can be produced as a result of a performance test of a sample such as aging, weathering, temperature annealing, etc. The sample's refractive index may change as a function of these parameters.

Changes in polarization can be produced as a result of sorbing a solution of an optically active material into the sample film, e.g., sensor spot. For example, different concentrations of sugar in blood or other fluids can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the rotation of polarization plane of the light after passing through sugar-containing film.

Changes in light scatter can be produced as a result of sorbing a solution containing light scattering material into the sensor spot. For example, different concentrations of particulate in wastewater can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through a sample film, e.g., sensor spot. As another example, hydrolytic stability of samples can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through the sample film upon exposure to high temperature, humidity, and/or pressure. As a further example, sample abrasion resistance can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through the sample film upon exposure of the samples to abrasion test such as oscillating sand, Taber test, sand-blast, or others.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the sensor system 200 includes a disc drive 202 for supporting a disc 204 including a plurality of sensor spots 205. The disc drive 202 is coupled to a drive motor 206 for rotating the disc 204 when in operation. The optical disc drive further includes a light source, e.g., a laser, for directing light onto a readable surface of the disc 204 and an optical pickup 210 for detecting light reflected from the disc 204. The light source 208 and optical pickup 210 are mounted on a tracking mechanism 212 to move the light source 208 and optical pickup 210 in an outward direction from a center of the disc while in a read operation.

As in a conventional optical disc drive, the system 200 includes a trigger detector 214 coupled to the optical pickup 210 to determine when a change in level of light has occurred, e.g., when light is reflected from a pit or a land, to generate a 0 or 1 data stream. Unlike in conventional drives, drive 200 includes an analog-to-digital converter A/D 220 coupled to the optical pickup 210 for measuring intensity values of the reflected light as an RF signal. Outputs of the trigger detector 214 and the analog-to-digital converter 220 are sent to processor 222 for rendering measured intensity values on an input/output device 224, such as a display, or via an audio means 226. The system 200 will further include a memory 227, such as a random access (RAM), read only memory (ROM), etc., for storing data and application programs. Detector intensity is defined as the RF signal generated by the intensity of reflected light captured by the optical pickup 210.

The data contained in the raw RF signal (about 10 MHz) shows up as noise when sampled at 200 khz in the analog-to-digital converter 220. Because the processor 222 is interested only in the average levels in a baseline signal and peaks of the measured signal, this noise can be further reduced by filtering via filter 218 or by averaging multiple waveforms.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a further embodiment of the sensor system 200 includes a disc drive 202 for supporting a disc 204 including a plurality of sensor spots. The disc drive 202 is coupled to a drive motor 206 for rotating the disc 204 when in operation. The optical disc drive further includes a light source 208, e.g., a laser, for directing light onto a readable surface of the disc 204 and an optical pickup 210 for detecting light reflected from the disc 204. The light source 208 and optical pickup 210 are mounted on a tracking mechanism 212 to move the light source 208 and optical pickup 210 in an outward direction from a center of the disc while in a read operation.

Unlike in conventional drives, drive 200 of FIG. 2B includes an analog-to-digital converter A/D 220 coupled to the optical pickup 210 for measuring intensity values of the reflected light as an RF signal. Output from the analog-to-digital converter 220 is sent to processor 222 for rendering measured intensity values on a display 224 or via an audio means 226.

Furthermore, the system may be employed to detect phase changes of materials deposited onto the disk. The system 200 may include an inductive heater that heats a specific sensor spot on the optical disc. The sensor spot is heated and a phase change is indicated by a change in light reflection, turbidity, etc. Phase detection will work with solid materials coated in the sensor spot, or in contained solutions, e.g., for dew-point/bubble-point detection. Similarly, plasticization, crystallization, dissolution and/or freezing will be detectable.

It is to be understood that embodiments of the invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the present invention may be implemented in software as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device. The application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising any suitable architecture. Preferably, the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU), a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM) 227 and input/output (110) device(s) 224 such as keyboard, cursor control device (e.g., a mouse) and display device. An internal system clock is also provided for performing temporal analysis as well as automating drive movements at specific times. The computer platform also includes an operating system and micro instruction code. The various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the micro instruction code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof) which is executed via the operating system. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional storage device and printing device.

For example, the analog signal, e.g., measured intensity of light, is coupled to an input of an analog-to-digital conversion circuit such as a National Instruments DAQCard model AI-16XE-50, and the digital data is read into a personal computer. Alternatively, the analog signal may be acquired from an analog-to-digital circuit inside a modified optical drive or externally from, for example, a digital oscilloscope.

It is to be further understood that, because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures may be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which embodiments of the invention are programmed.

Referring to FIG. 3A, an exemplary optical disc 300 is shown. The disc 300 generally is constructed from an injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic which is impressed with microscopic bumps arranged as a single, continuous spiral track of data as is known in the art. The bumps will form a series of pits and lands, i.e., non-bump areas, which will be encoded as digital data, i.e., 0's and 1's when the disc is read in the drive. A reflective metallic layer, typically aluminum, is sputtered onto the plastic covering the bumps, and then, in the case of compact discs (CDs) a thin acrylic layer is coated over the aluminum to protect it. In the case of DVDs, the metalized substrate is bonded to another polycarbonate substrate using a UV-curable adhesive.

FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of the optical disc containing a sensor region.

Referring to FIG. 3B, in various embodiments, the optical disc 300 includes a plurality of layers. These layers include, but are not limited to, a first substrate layer 320 (substrate layer 1) comprising a thermoplastic, such as a polycarbonate or the like; an optically transparent second substrate layer 328 (substrate layer 0) also comprising a thermoplastic, such as a polycarbonate or the like; a reflective layer 324 comprising a metal, such as Al, Ag or Au, or the like; optionally, either a data layer comprising regions of pits and lands molded into the second substrate and/or a recording layer 326 comprising a recordable material, such as phthalocyanine or the like, or a re-writable material, such as an magneto-optic (MO) material, a phase-change material, a chalcogenide or the like; a bonding adhesive layer 322; and a sensor spot layer 330 covering regions of the second substrate (layer 0). Each of the layers is described in greater detail herein below.

It should be noted that, although exemplary layer combinations are illustrated and described herein, other layer combinations will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are contemplated by the present invention.

The plastic employed for both the first substrate 320 and second substrate 328 should be capable of withstanding subsequent processing parameters (e.g., application of subsequent layers) such as sputtering temperatures of about room temperature (about 25° C.) up to about 150° C., and subsequent storage conditions (e.g., in a hot car having temperatures up to about 70° C.). That is, it is desirable for the plastic to have sufficient thermal and mechanical stability to prevent deformation during the various layer deposition steps as well as during storage by the end-user. Possible plastics include thermoplastics with glass transition temperatures of about 100° C. or greater, with about 125° C. or greater for example, about 140° C. or greater as another example, and about 200° C. or greater as yet another example (e.g., polyetherimides, polyetheretherketones, polysulfones, polyethersulfones, polyetherethersulfones, polyphenylene ethers, polyimides, polycarbonates, etc.); with materials having glass transition temperatures greater than about 250° C. for example, such as polyetherimide in which sulfonedianiline or oxydianiline has been substituted for m-phenylenediamine, among others, as well as polyimides, combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing plastics, and others. Generally, polycarbonates are employed.

Some possible examples of first substrate and second substrate materials include, but are not limited to, amorphous, crystalline, and semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials such as: polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins (including, but not limited to, linear and cyclic polyolefins and including polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, polypropylene, and the like), polyesters (including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polycyclohexylmethylene terephthalate, and the like), polyamides, polysulfones (including, but not limited to, hydrogenated polysulfones, and the like), polyimides, polyether imides, polyether sulfones, polyphenylene sulfides, polyether ketones, polyether ether ketones, ABS resins, polystyrenes (including, but not limited to, hydrogenated polystyrenes, syndiotactic and atactic polystyrenes, polycyclohexyl ethylene, styrene-coacrylonitrile, styrene-co-maleic anhydride, and the like), polybutadiene, polyacrylates (including, but not limited to, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), methyl methacrylate-polyimide copolymers, and the like), polyacrylonitrile, polyacetals, polycarbonates, polyphenylene ethers (including, but not limited to, those derived from 2,6-dimethylphenol and copolymers with 2,3,6-trimethylphenol, and the like), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl acetate, liquid crystal polymers, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, aromatic polyesters, polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinylidene chloride, and tetrafluoroethylenes (e.g., Teflons).

The optical disc 300, e.g., data storage media, can be produced by first forming the substrate material using a conventional reaction vessel capable of adequately mixing various precursors, such as a single or twin-screw extruder, kneader, blender, or the like. The extruder should be maintained at a sufficiently high temperature to melt the substrate material precursors without causing decomposition thereof. For polycarbonate, for example, temperatures in a range between about 220° C. and about 360° C. can be used, and preferably in a range between about 260° C. and about 320° C. Similarly, the residence time in the extruder should be controlled to minimize decomposition. Residence times of up to about 2 minutes (mm) or more can be employed, with up to about 1.5 mm as an example, and up to about 1 mm as yet another example. Prior to extrusion into the desired form (typically pellets, sheet, web, or the like), the mixture can optionally be filtered, such as by melt filtering, the use of a screen pack, or combinations thereof, or the like, to remove undesirable contaminants or decomposition products.

Once the plastic composition has been produced, it can be formed into the substrate using various molding techniques, processing techniques, or combinations thereof. Possible techniques include injection molding, film casting, extrusion, press molding, blow molding, stamping, and the like. Once the substrate has been produced, additional processing, such as electroplating, coating techniques (e.g., spin coating, spray coating, vapor deposition, screen printing, painting, dipping, and the like), lamination, sputtering, and the like, as well as combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing processing techniques, may be employed to dispose desired layers on the substrate. Typically, the substrate has a thickness of up to about 600 microns.

In recordable media, the data are encoded by laser, which illuminates an active data layer that undergoes a phase change, thus producing a series of highly-reflecting or non-reflective regions making up the data stream. In these formats, a laser beam first travels through an optically transparent substrate before reaching the data layer. At the data layer, the beam is either reflected or not, in accordance with the encoded data. The laser light then travels back through the optically transparent substrate and into an optical detector system where the data are interpreted. Thus, the data layer is disposed between the optically transparent substrate 328 and the reflective layer 324. The data layer(s) for an optical application typically is pits, grooves, or combinations thereof on the substrate layer. Preferably, the data layer is embedded in the substrate surface. Typically, an injection molding-compression technique produces the substrate where a mold is filled with a molten polymer as defined herein. The mold may contain a preform, insert, etc. The polymer system is cooled and, while still in at least partially molten state, compressed to imprint the desired surface features, for example, pits and grooves, arranged in spiral concentric or other orientation onto the desired portions of the substrate, i.e., one or both sides in the desired areas.

Possible data layers for magnetic or magneto-optic applications may comprise any material capable of storing retrievable data and examples include, but are not limited to, oxides (such as silicone oxide), rare earth elements, transition metal alloys, nickel, cobalt, chromium, tantalum, platinum, terbium, gadolinium, iron, boron, others, and alloys and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing, organic dyes (e.g., cyanine or phthalocyanine type dyes), and inorganic phase change compounds (e.g., TeSeSn, InAgSb, and the like).

Optionally, protective layer(s), which protect against dust, oils, and other contaminants, may be provided on the sensor spot layer. The protective layer can have a thickness of greater than about 100 microns (μ) to less than about 10 Angstroms (Å), with a thickness of about 300 Å or less exemplified in some embodiments, and a thickness of about 100 Å or less as yet another example. The thickness of the protective layer(s) is usually determined, at least in part, by the type of read/write mechanism employed, e.g., magnetic, optic, or magneto-optic. Possible protective layers include anti-corrosive materials such as gold, silver, nitrides (e.g., silicon nitrides and aluminum nitrides, among others), carbides (e.g., silicon carbide and others), oxides (e.g., silicon dioxide and others), polymeric materials (e.g., polyacrylates or polycarbonates), carbon film (diamond, diamond-like carbon, and the like), among others, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing materials.

Optionally, dielectric layer(s), which are typically disposed on one or both sides of the data layer and are often employed as heat controllers, can typically have a thickness of up to or exceeding about 1,000 Å and as low as about 200 Å or less. Possible dielectric layers include nitrides (e.g., silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and others); oxides (e.g., aluminum oxide); sulfides (e.g. zinc sulfide); carbides (e.g., silicon carbide); and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing materials, among other materials compatible within the environment and preferably not reactive with the surrounding layers.

The reflective layer(s) 324 should have a sufficient thickness to reflect a sufficient amount of energy (e.g., light) to enable data retrieval. Typically the reflective layer(s) can have a thickness of up to about 700 Å or so, with a thickness in a range between about 300 Å and about 600 Å as an example. Possible reflective layers include any material capable of reflecting the particular energy field, including metals (e.g., aluminum, silver, gold, silicon, titanium, and alloys and mixtures comprising at least one of the foregoing metals, and others).

The adhesive layer 322 can adhere any combination of the above-mentioned layers. The adhesive layer can comprise any material that does not substantially interfere with the transfer of light through the media from and to the data retrieval device (e.g., that is substantially transparent at the wavelength of light utilized by the device, and/or which allows a reflectivity from the media of about 50% or greater, with a percent reflectivity of about 65% or greater for example and a percent reflectivity of about 75% or greater as a further example). Possible adhesive materials include UV materials such as acrylates (e.g., cross-linked acrylates, and the like), silicon hardcoats, and the like, as well as reaction products and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing materials. Other examples of UV materials are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,179,548 and 4,491,508. Some useful monoacrylate monomers include butyl acrylate, hexyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate and the like. Some useful polyfunctional acrylate monomers include, for example, diacrylates, triacrylates, tetraacrylates, and combinations thereof.

Although the adhesive layer may contain only one of said polyfunctional acrylate monomers, or a mixture comprising at least one of the polyfunctional acrylate monomers (and the UV light reaction product thereof), exemplary coating compositions contain a mixture of two polyfunctional monomers (and the UV light reaction product thereof), preferably a diacrylate and a triacrylate (and the UV light reaction product thereof), with mono-acrylate monomers used in particular instances. Optionally, the adhesive coating can comprise nonacrylic UV curable aliphatically unsaturated organic monomers in amounts up to about 50 weight % of the uncured adhesive coating that includes, for example, such materials as N-vinyl pyrrolidone, styrene, and the like, and reaction products and combinations Comprising at least one of the foregoing materials.

The disc 300 includes a digital data section 302 and a sensor section 304 including a plurality of sensor spots 306. Since data is recorded on the spiral track from the inside of the disc to the outside, the digital data section 302 is located on the inner most part of the disc 300. The digital data section 302 may include information on the locations of the sensor spots 306, types of the sensor spots, etc.

Each sensor spot 306 covers multiple pit/land areas. This feature of the sensor region provides the ability to average signals across different regions of the same sensor spot to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, as will be described below. The term “covers” refers to the spot being located between the laser incident surface of the optical disc and the data layer containing pits and lands. The spot can be located in a coating layer not necessarily adjacent to the pit/land layer, but rather in the optical path of the laser to a specific pit/land region.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method for quantifying compounds in fluids is illustrated. Initially in step 402, an optical disc is prepared with sensor spots over a predetermined region of the optical disc. The optical disc is then loaded into the optical disc drive (step 404). The optical disc is then read via the optical disc drive to obtain a baseline reading (step 406). Next, the optical disc is removed from the optical disc drive (step 408) and it is exposed to any environment of interest (step 410). The optical disc is then again placed in the optical disc drive (step 412). The exposed optical disc is read and a signal indicative of the change in at least one optical property of a sensor spot is produced (step 414). The signal obtained from the exposed optical disc, e.g., intensity of transmitted light, is then compared to the baseline signal to determine changes in the environment of interest (step 416). Alternatively, a highly reproducible disc production method that results in acceptable disk-to-disk variation could allow the baseline reading (steps 404, 406 and 408) to be eliminated by substituting a prerecorded baseline from another disk or a prerecorded baseline stored in memory 227.

Referring to FIG. 5, a further method for quantifying compounds in fluids is illustrated. In this embodiment, the optical disc senses the environment of interest while located in the optical disc drive. Initially in step 502, an optical disc is prepared with sensor spots over a predetermined region of the optical disc. The optical disc is then loaded into the optical disc drive (step 504). The optical disc is then read via the optical disc drive to obtain a baseline reading (step 506). Next, the optical disc is exposed to a substance that is drawn through the optical disc drive (step 508). The exposed optical disc is read and a signal indicative of the change in at least one property of a sensor spot is produced (step 510). The signal obtained from the exposed optical disc e.g., intensity of transmitted light, is then compared to the baseline signal to determine changes in the environment of interest (step 512). Alternatively, a highly reproducible disc production method that results in acceptable disk-to-disk variation could allow the baseline reading (step 506) to be eliminated by substituting a prerecorded baseline from another disk or a prerecorded baseline stored in memory 227.

According to the above method, the optical disc drive 200 may include a vapor induction port for drawing a vapor including a compound into the drive to expose the vapor to the optical disc. Optionally, a fan may be employed to facilitate drawing the vapor into the induction port.

A data acquisition method for obtaining the optical signal known in the art is based on a triggered data acquisition method, as illustrated in FIG. 6. According to this method, a single waveform begins at a trigger mark, I₀. The length (for example, in microseconds) of a single waveform should be sufficient to capture all of the sensor spots before the next trigger mark. A signal from the trigger mark must be stronger than any of the sensor spots. Otherwise, false triggering can occur on a spot, and the subsequent averaging of multiple waveforms will result in inaccuracies. A total of n individual waveforms can be recorded and then averaged. The trigger mark can also serve as an internal reference mark. The internal reference mark can provide reference information about the drive and the disk, for example, changes in operating temperature due to heating of the drive, ambient conditions during measurements. Also, such an internal reference mark can serve as an indicator of exposure time of the sensor spots on the disc to the environment of interest, provided that the trigger mark was also exposed to this environment. In operation, the trigger mark changes its signal intensity depending to the measured parameter. The trigger level I₀ is selected to be larger than any anticipated signal from any of sensor spots.

The system of the present invention may collect a data stream starting at any random location. For example, after the disc table of contents is read, the processor can instruct the drive to access data at any random logical block address on the disc. In this non-trigger-based method, data collection does not depend on a trigger and can be initiated at any time. A data stream is captured continuously for n revolutions of the disc. There could be over 100,000 data points in the data stream. The method locates a pattern within the data stream (FIG. 32(A)), and extracts subsets of data (FIG. 32(B)), each of which corresponds to a single revolution. The subsets are summed or averaged. If incomplete subsets exist at the start or end of the data stream, they are discarded. An important advantage of the non-trigger method of the present invention is that the system will not hang while waiting for a trigger mark. Trigger marks may not be necessary if other features, e.g., data patterns, adequately identify subsets.

Various experiments were preformed using various compounds and reactants, the results of which will be described below.

For demonstration of quantitative detection, regions of different grey scale were produced on a surface of an optical disc. These regions were designed to be insensitive to environmental conditions and to serve as reference regions. Measurements were performed across different grey-scale regions simultaneously. For the measurements, a CD/DVD combination drive, e.g., Pioneer Model 115, was used. Data acquisition was performed using a single channel of a digital oscilloscope, e.g., Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope, Tektronix Model TDS 5054, with the sampling rate of less than 50 MHz and with the averaging of 100 waveforms. FIG. 8 shows typical collected waveforms from these multiple regions. These data demonstrate the capability of the optical drive to detect different gray scale regions. The intensity of detector signal is proportional to the grey scale.

For detection of oxidative species in water, thin film regions (e.g., sensor spots) containing methylene blue (MB) dye were coated onto the surface of a DVD, e.g., an optical disc. The signals from these regions were measured before the sensor spots were exposed to water containing oxidative species. The several sensor spots were then exposed to a water solution containing about 0.03% of bleach. As controls, several MB sensor spots were exposed to pure water with no oxidant. Measurements of oxidation were periodically done after 0.17, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 h. FIG. 9 illustrates the time-dependent change in detector signal of two adjacent films exposed to 0.03% bleach. The signals from the control MB sensor spots exposed to water did not change.

For detection of ionic species such as NH₄₊ in water, thin film regions (e.g., sensor spots) containing different pH dyes were coated onto the surface of a DVD, e.g., an optical disc. These dyes included bromocresol green (Aldrich, 11,435-9), bromophenol blue (Nutritional Biochemicals, 12-238), and bromocresol purple (Aldrich, 86,089-1, 90% dye content). The initial signal of the films was measured followed by the exposure of the disc to a solution containing 0.001 M of NH₄₊. Upon removal from the solution, the disc was measured again. FIG. 10 depicts the change in detector signal of the bromocresol green film before, e.g., blank baseline, and after exposure to NH₄+. This figure illustrates that the sensor is detecting the presence of NH₄+.

Detection of species on-line was demonstrated with an optical disc containing a sensor spot responsive to ammonia vapor. The spot was a film containing bromocresol green dye (Aldrich, 11,435-9) in a polymer matrix. The optical disc was loaded in a drive that had a vapor induction port. Ammonia vapor was delivered into the drive when the optical disc was read by the drive. The sensor spot responded to the increasing concentration of ammonia in air as shown in FIG. 11. After a period of time, the vapor flow was switched to a carrier gas without ammonia. This is evident by the increase in signal collected by the drive, i.e., the signal returned to its baseline. Another cycle was further performed starting at 290 s, showing a reversible and reproducible test spot response.

Determination of chemical composition of a fluid was performed using light-scattering detection in an optical drive. A polymer film (e.g., sensor spot) was deposited onto a DVD, e.g., an optical disc, wherein the material of the polymer film was responsive to one of the components in a sample fluid. The response of the polymer film and resulting detector signal was provided by the intensity of the light scattered in the film after exposure to a sample fluid.

To fabricate the responsive film, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (obtained from Aldrich) was dissolved in an appropriate solvent (such as for example, 1-methoxy-2-propanol) at an appropriate polymer concentration to produce a transparent film. Films were produced by flow coating the polymer solution. Analyte samples were prepared with variable concentrations of an analyte of interest (water) in a non-aqueous solvent. As an example of a solvent, 1-methoxy-2-propanol was used. For quantitation of water concentration, first, the dry (unexposed) sensor films were measured with the optical drive by quantifying the detector signal. The sensor films were then exposed to varied concentrations of water/solvent compositions for 15 seconds. After each exposure, each sample fluid was removed with compressed air at ambient temperature. The sensor films were then measured by reading the DVD in the optical drive and recording the detector signal intensities from the exposed sensor spots. Results of this experiment are presented in FIG. 12. The figure indicates the magnitude of the signal change resulting from exposure of the sensor film to water-containing samples.

Various signal-processing approaches were further developed to improve signal measurement precision. The developed approaches were based on the selection of an appropriate region, position, and size around the sensor spot. The precision-improvement data analysis can include but is not limited to summing, averaging, Fourier filtering, Savitsky-Golay filtering, and any other data analysis technique known in the art.

The various methods for improvement of signal precision are summarized in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Signal- processing Approaches Description Comments Method 1 Signal quantification only Simplest data analysis from a small region of the algorithm sensor Method 2 Signal quantification from an Improves precision by sum- active area of sensor spot ming all sensing regions Method 3 Signal quantification from the Improves precision by whole area of the sensor spot summing all sensing regions and also inactive areas of sensor spot

In method 1, signal quantification is acquired from only a small region of a sensor spot. Referring to FIG. 3A, sensor spot 306 covers a specific region of the optical disc. Although the data track spiraling on the disc is one continuous track, sensor spot 306 has, for example, three separate tracks transversing it. According to method 1, a signal may be quantified from only one track. This method will employ a simple data analysis algorithm resulting in less computation time and resources.

In method 2, a signal is acquired from an active area of the sensor spot, e.g. an area that demonstrates the signal change upon exposure to stimuli from the environment. Readings from the active areas are then summed.

In method 3, a signal is acquired from the whole area of the sensor spot including an inactive area. An inactive area of sensor spot is an area that has a non-representative signal change upon exposure to stimuli from the environment. An example of such area is the edge of the sensor spot where the concentration of dye or coating thickness may be much higher than in the center because of the method used to produce the sensor spots.

FIG. 13 illustrates the results of the various signal processing approaches using the same optical disc. A chemically sensitive region, e.g., sensor spot, was produced by dissolving Rhodamine 800 laser dye in Nafion and casting films onto an optical disc. Upon exposure to moisture, the absorbance of the film was changed. Signal changes of the computer optical drive sensor in the presence of different amounts of ambient water vapor around the sensor, e.g., 0% RH and approximately 22% RH are presented in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the smallest noise in the measured signal upon exposure of the sensor to 0 and 22% RH was achieved using the data processing method 3. In this method, the signal is collected from the sensor spot and from adjacent regions in order to compensate for some jitter effects, where jitter is defined here as a random fluctuation of signal with time.

Referring to FIG. 14, a networked sensor system 1400 is provided. The networked sensor system 1400 includes a central communication center 1402 coupled to a plurality of sensor devices 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410 via network 1412. The network 1412 may be a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet or any other known network for coupling a plurality of computers, servers or the like.

It is to be understood that the sensor devices are functionally similar to those described above in relation to FIGS. 2A and 2B. In one embodiment, sensor devices 1404, 1408 are optical drives mounted internal or directly connected to a computer, e.g., a server, personal computer (PC), laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. In this embodiment, the computer will perform its customary functions while the optical drive senses the environment. Additionally, the optical disc including at least one sensor spot may be removed from the computer to read other optical media.

In a further embodiment, the sensor device 1406, 1410 may be a standalone optical drive having a network interface card. In this embodiment, raw data collected by the drive may be sent to the central communication center 1402 for processing.

Similarly, a remote bus can be connected to a networking device, e.g., a hub, and provide a link to several independent stand-alone optical drives to provide multiplexed sensing on multiple drives at a single location. This system of interconnected sensor devices can be used to monitor the movement of a particular analyte across a spatial region of the location or to monitor the presence or movement of biomaterials or organisms as they move through air or vapors in a particular location or plurality of locations. For example, as different sensor devices detect a particular analyte at different times, the system 1400 may determine the direction and speed of the moving analyte.

It is to be appreciated that information collected by the remote sensor devices 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410 may be transmitted via landline 1414, cellular phone, satellite relay or other wireless communication link 1416 to the central communication center 1402.

Optionally, several optical drive sensors can be arranged in a single computer system, either connected directly to the mother board or through an external bus, e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB). These optical drive sensors can perform measure me its of different environmental parameters based on the use of different laser wavelengths. Available wavelengths include substantially about 650 nm and 780 nm. Additional wavelengths could be available upon further development of the optical drive technologies. For example, wavelengths at around 400 nm (BLU-RAY DISC® optical drives) are currently under development and can be easily used for the optical drive sensors.

A computer with at least one installed optical drive sensor 1404 can be used for measurements of environmental parameters. For example, concentrations of ambient chemicals can be measured with such a sensor. Any conventional computer is not hermetically sealed thus, ambient vapors may interact with the optical disc including at least one sensor spot by diffusion through the voids in the computer and optical drive housing. If needed, the number and size of these voids can be increased, or a mechanical fan can be added to promote better access of ambient vapors to the optical drive. An auxiliary automated vapor delivery system can be easily adapted for the use with the same software that operates the optical disc drive. Additionally, the whole computer can be installed in an enclosure that is selectively permeable to certain types of vapors while other types of vapors and liquids will not permeate into the enclosure. Such an option can be attractive to monitor free gases in water, e.g., chlorine.

Furthermore, a computer with at least one installed optical drive sensor 1404 can be used for measurements of biological contaminants in an environment. For example, concentrations of airborne spores or cysts, bacteria, viruses, or proteins can be measured with such a sensor. In this embodiment, the disk drive can be coated with material that gives a response to certain biomolecules of concern. This species can be whole organisms like bacterial cells, spores, or cysts, or they can be virus, or associated proteins indicative of dangerous biomaterials.

An operation of the automated remotely-addressable optical drive sensor is illustrated in FIG. 15. The computer optical drive sensor can be installed in a laptop or desktop personal computer or in another computer system that is capable of communicating with an optical drive. An optical disc containing environmentally sensitive regions, e.g., sensor spots, is installed into the optical drive (step 1502). A network connection is established via any known communication protocol (step 1504). Remote measurements are then initiated using any known network-supported software (step 1506), e.g., LABVIEW® commercially available from National Instruments of Austin, Tex. Upon receiving a command via the network (step 1508), the computer and/or optical drive sensor starts its automatic remote operation (step 1510).

During the sensing process (step 1512), the sensor device operates as described above in relation to FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, the software automatically selects predetermined (pre-preprogrammed) regions to scan with the optical disc drive laser. During this scan, a waveform from the detector output as a function of measurement time is recorded. This waveform is analyzed with respect to the signal intensity in predetermined location on the waveform.

Upon analysis, the signal quality is compared with the reference value that can be stored in advance in computer memory or can be provided by a signal of another region of the optical disc or from another reference disk in another drive. The signal from the sensor device is further compared with a predetermined threshold signal quality (step 1514). This predetermined threshold signal quality can be indicative of a certain level of the measured environmental parameter. The final response of the computer can be sending a status report via the network as an electronic mail or by other means (step 1516). Alternatively, such report can be sent only when the measured signal exceeds the predetermined threshold signal quality.

The networked sensor system 1400 can also monitor the rate of change in the sensor response and determine both an accelerated change in the target parameter, and conversely, a significant decrease in the target parameter. This allows the remote monitoring system 1400 to tell when an event occurs, the severity of the event, and when the event is no longer outside a pre-established operating range. Additionally, interpretation of rates of change in the target parameter can be used to provide information about the periodicity of the event, a key element in troubleshooting the cause of the parameter variance. This is particular useful for unattended systems that have discontinuous events.

Quantitative detection of chemical species, via experimentation, was achieved with an optical drive sensor installed in a personal computer at a remote location. Depending on the chemically sensitive reagents distributed in the sensing regions on the optical disc, different types of chemicals can be monitored. An example of this sensing strategy was demonstrated for detection of humidity. For demonstration, the changes in this chemical concentration were produced by bubbling different amounts of dry air through liquid water. Vapor introduction was controlled by the same software, e.g. LABVIEW®, that was also used to operate the optical drive sensor. Additionally, this data acquisition program permits network communication between computers and remote automated monitoring and control of data acquisition parameters.

Chemically sensitive regions, e.g., sensor spots, were produced by dissolving Rhodamine 800 laser dye in Nafion and casting films onto an optical disc. Optical inspection of the dry film was performed to evaluate the optical response of the films to moisture. Typical spectra are shown in FIG. 16. The spectra were collected in absorbance mode using a fiber-optic-based portable spectrograph. As a reference, a spectrum of the film in dry air was used (baseline curve in FIG. 16). Upon exposure to moisture, the absorbance of the film was changed as indicated in FIG. 16, e.g., humid air. The wavelengths of interest (650 and 780 nm) can be easily used with this reagent for moisture determinations.

Signal changes of the computer optical drive sensor in the presence of different amounts of ambient water vapor around the sensor, e.g., 0% RH and approximately 80% RH, are presented in FIG. 17. Data collection parameters were set as follows: spot position, 500,000 logical block; waveforms to average, 10; record length 200 Ks/s; and saving frequency, 1 waveform per 5 s. This data demonstrates the practicality of the applications of the optical drive sensors for remote monitoring of chemicals in the ambient.

Typical results of remote quantification of chemical species using a remote optical drive sensor are presented in FIG. 18. In these measurements, a Nafion/Rhodamine 800 sensor material positioned on a disc was exposed to variable concentrations of water vapor (0, 22 and 67% RH). Data collection parameters were set as follows: spot position, 330,000 logical block; waveforms to average, 40; record length 200 Ks/s; and saving frequency, 1 waveform per 2 s. When the sensor was exposed to low water-content gas (point A), the sensor signal was the largest as indicated in FIG. 18. Upon increasing concentrations of water vapor, the signal of the sensor was proportionally decreasing. This figure also illustrates the good reproducibility of measurements.

Next, with specific reference to FIGS. 19-22, will be described a system 1900 of remote quantifying of compounds. The system 1900 enables the automatic and remote determination of the quantity of compounds in a fluidic, solid or gel-like substance. System 1900 includes a retrieval device 1904 that moves between a plurality of stations at which certain activities takes place. For example, at station 1902 (FIGS. 19, 20), a DVD 1906 including a plurality of sensor spots 1910 is retrieved by the retrieval device 1904 from a stack 1908 of such DVDs. Retrieval device 1904 may be, for example, a robotic arm having a vacuum pickup feature. Alternatively, retrieval device 1904 may be a robotic arm having an electromagnetic pickup, a mechanical pickup feature (such as multiple fingers that grasp the disk at the outer rim or through the inner hole), or an adhesive pickup feature. The adhesive pickup feature may include a pressure sensitive or thermally sensitive adhesive.

The robotic arm of retrieval device 1904 elevates DVD 1906 in a direction A and then transports DVD 1906 to station 1920 (FIGS. 19, 21). At station 1920, retrieval device 1904 moves DVD 1906 into contact with the fluidic, solid or gel-like material that includes the compounds to be quantified. For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 21, the robotic arm of retrieval device 1904 lowers DVD 1906 in a direction B into contact with a material 1924 located within a vat 1922. Alternatively, instead of dipping DVD 1906 into material 1924, DVD 1906 may be placed in contact with a freely flowing stream of material 1924. Alternatively, the material 1924 may be introduced to the system through an injection system that injects the material 1924 into a pre-configured fluidic sampler that delivers a controlled volume of the material 1924 to each of the sensor spots 1910 contained on the DVD 1906. Sensor spots 1910 are brought into contact with material 1924 so that a determination may be made as to the quantity of a particular compound located within material 1924.

Next, retrieval device 1904 transports DVD 1906 to station 1930 (FIG. 19), at which excess material 1924 is removed from DVD 1906. Utilizing an injection system can minimize the fluid removal step required prior to reading the DVD 1906. After the excess material 1924 has been removed, retrieval device 1904 transports DVD 1906 to station 1904 (FIGS. 19, 22), at which DVD 1906 is optically read. The robotic arm of retrieval device 1904 moves DVD 1906 into an optical drive 1944. The optical drive 1944 may be a DVD optical drive or other suitable reading device. As shown, the optical drive 1944 includes a drive tray covered by a removable door 1942. DVD 1906 is released by the robotic arm of retrieval device 1904 once it is positioned within the drive tray. Door 1942 is closed under computer control and a laser is turned on and positioned so that the optical signals can be recorded.

Once the optical signals have been recorded, door 1942 is removed and DVD 1906 is picked up again by retrieval device 1904 and moved to a station 1950 (FIG. 19), at which DVD 1906 is discarded. Two sets of automated operations must be executed and synchronized—the movement of retrieval device 1904 and controlling optical drive 1944. Commercially available robots or motion control mechanisms can be utilized as retrieval device 1904 and programmed to move between stations 1902, 1920, 1930, 1940 and 1950. A computer program can be utilized to control optical drive 1944. For example, a program written in LABVIEW® may be uploaded to a personal computer in communication with optical drive 1944. A front panel of the LABVIEW® program is illustrated in FIG. 23. The analysis of the optical drive 1944 may be custom configured to allow time adjusted sequencing to adapt to variation in process loading or sequence timing.

FIG. 24 illustrates the output of optical drive 1944. As is shown, the laser output turns on and off synchronous with the closing and opening, respectively, of door 1942.

With specific reference to FIGS. 25, 26, next will be described an optical reading system that is external to a personal computer or other computing device. While many optical reading devices, such as DVD optical drives, are incorporated within personal computers, such optical reading devices also are available in stand-alone packages. Such optical reading devices can be placed in communication with computing devices through a universal serial bus or through wireless means. As shown in FIG. 25, a DVD drive 1944 is connected to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 2502. The ADC 2502 is connected to a universal serial bus 2504, which is connected to a computing device 2506. Alternatively, the DVD drive 1944, ADC 2502 and computing device 2506 can be placed in communication with one another through the use of an Ethernet interface or a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth wireless connection. FIG. 26 illustrates data collected while scanning nine chemical sensor spots.

As described above, a conventional CD or DVD optical storage media disk, which can be any commercial CD or DVD, is preferably encoded with information beforehand in the form of pits and/or bumps on at least one side of the disk. Typically, such CD or DVD is an injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic. During manufacturing, the plastic is impressed with microscopic bumps arranged as a single, continuous, extremely long spiral track of data. The spiral track of data preferably follows a circular path outward from the inside of the disk to the outside. Pits are often referred to when discussing CDs instead of bumps. Typically, pits appear on the reflective side, bumps appear on the side the laser reads from.

Predetermined spatial locations on the optical disk are defined as “sensor regions”. Depending on the application, the sensor regions are responsive to physical, chemical, biochemical, and other parameters in the environment. The cross-sectional area of the light beam is smaller than the area of the sensor region. During spinning of the disk, the light beam interacts with the sensor region as the light beam passes through the sensor region, reflects off the optical media's reflective layer, and passes back through the sensor region prior to detection. The interacted light waves are modulated in proportion to changes of various conditions of the sensor region, for example, changes to the concentration of a compound affecting the sensor region. After the light has interacted with the sensor region, the reflected light intensity will be read by the optical disk drive to quantify the amount of the compound contained in the sensor region. This is because the intensity of the reflected light as read by the optical disk drive is indicative of the quantity of the compound contained in the sensor region. Changes in light scatter can be produced as a result of sorbing a solution containing light scattering material into the sensor region. For example, different concentrations of particulate in wastewater can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through a sample film, e.g., sensor region. As another example, hydrolytic stability of samples can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through the sample film upon exposure to high temperature, humidity, and/or pressure. As a further example, sample abrasion resistance can be determined from the change in the detector light intensity due to the scatter of light after passing through the sample film upon exposure of the samples to abrasion test such as oscillating sand, Taber test, sand-blast, or others.

The reading of the disk may be accomplished by detecting changes in some measurable property, for example intensity, of the laser light, which has passed through the sensor regions, said change being induced by the presence and character of the sensor material impressed on the surface of the disk. This change in property is detected by an appropriate optical detector 210, and is then converted by analog-to-digital converter 220 to a digital signal, usually a binary signal, to be recorded by the associated computer architecture. The measurable property of the light altered by the sensor material may be intensity, as is the case in presently available CD ROM readers, but may be some other measurable property such as polarization angle, phase or wavelength.

A variety of physical, chemical, biochemical and environmental parameters quantitatively affect the level of signal produced by the sensor regions on an optical disk. Optical parameters include optical properties of the measured sample, for example, its refractive index, absorbance, polarization, scatter, and any other optical parameters of the sample or induced by the sample on the sensor regions. The non-optical parameters are those contributing from, for example, sample thickness and sample morphology, as well as from the performance of the optical disk drive, such as beam defocusing and detector gain.

Referring again to FIG. 2A, the sensor system 200 includes a disk drive 202 for supporting and rotating a disk 204 as known in the art. In operation, the disk drive 202 is coupled to a drive motor 206 for rotating the disk 204. The optical disk drive further includes a light source 208, e.g., a laser, for directing light onto a readable surface of the disk 204 and an optical detector 210 for detecting light reflected from the disk 204. The light source 208 and optical detector 210 are mounted on a tracking mechanism 212 to move the light source 208 and optical detector 210 in an outward direction from a center of the disk while in a read operation. As the optical detector moves outward along the radial paths of the disk, it is known that the spinning speed of the disk decreases so as to maintain a constant velocity and data acquisition rate between the optical detector and optical disk data track.

The data contained in the raw RF signal (about 10 MHz) shows up as noise when sampled at 200 kHz in the analog-to-digital converter 220. Because the processor 222 is interested only in the average levels in a baseline signal and peaks of the measured signal, this noise can be further reduced by filtering via hardware signal filter 218. For example, FIG. 31A shows a relatively noisy data stream 60A captured without the use of a filter 218. By comparison, FIG. 31B shows a smoother data stream 60B after the data was captured with a filter 218, for example a one-microsecond low pass signal filter. The results of FIG. 31B show that significant improvement in signal to noise levels in the collected waveforms can be achieved with conventional signal filtering 218.

The connection to the optical signal output is made inside of the DVD/CD disk device. Depending on the manufacturer of the device, this connection may be made to test points labeled “RF”, “Raw RF”, “RF Out”, etc. The most useful signal is obtained immediately following the optical detector and before any equalization or gain compensation has been applied. This signal is brought outside of the disk drive on a separate wire and connected to the input of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), such as National Instruments model 6023E (PCI slot interface) or National Instruments DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 (PCMCIA interface). The sampling rate of the ADC should be greater that 100,000 samples per second in order to obtain sufficient data points to define changes in the output of the optical detector originating from the sensor regions. It does not need to resolve the bits in the digital data signal. The sampling rate is determined according to the following formula: S _(rate)=(W*2*π*R)/(60*X)  Equation 1: where:

-   -   W is disk rotation speed (rpm);     -   R is radial location of circumferential data track;     -   X is required spatial resolution along a circumferential data         track; 2*π*R is the circumferential length of a data track.

Referring again to FIG. 2A, the system 200 may include a trigger detector 214 coupled to the optical detector 210 to determine when a change in level of light has occurred, e.g., when light is reflected from a pit or a land, to generate a 0 or 1 data stream as known in the art. However, unlike conventional optical disk drives, drive 200 includes an analog-to-digital converter 220 coupled to the optical detector 210 for measuring intensity values of the reflected light as an RF signal. Outputs of the trigger detector 214 and the analog-to-digital converter 220 are sent to processor 222 for rendering measured intensity values on an input/output device 224, such as a display, or via an audio means 226. The system 200 will further include a memory 227, such as a random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), etc., for storing data and application programs. Detector intensity is defined as the RF signal generated by the intensity of reflected light captured by the optical detector 210.

Drive 200 includes an analog-to-digital converter A/D 220 coupled to the optical detector 210 for measuring intensity values of the reflected light as an RF signal. Output from the analog-to-digital converter 220 is sent to processor 222 for rendering measured intensity values on a display 224 or via an audio means 226.

The present scanning sensor system was evaluated by creating an optical disk with a reference gray-scale pattern 30 as shown FIG. 28. This disk was then subjected to the array-scanning capabilities of the present invention. Typically, an array of data results is collected during each revolution of the disk. The disk drive control software of the present invention can be programmed to rotate the disk one complete revolution at each radial increment of the disk. After each revolution, the laser-detector optical head (optical detector) is moved outward a predetermined radial increment until the entire sensor region is interrogated by the light beam. Alternatively, the disk may be programmed to rotate more than one time, for example 30 times, at each radial increment before the laser-detector optical head is moved outward. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disk may be programmed to rotate many more times; for example, a hundred, a thousand, a million or more times at each radial increment if desired. Accordingly, when more than one data stream is collected at each radial increment, the data from each radial increment can be averaged so as to improve precision of the results and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected signal. The laser-detector optical head is initially positioned at a predetermined radial position of the disk. As the disk rotates, the laser-detector optical head begins to collect data. The disk may rotate one time or many times, depending on the quantity of data points desired, before the laser-detector optical head is moved outward a predetermined radial increment, for example 0.1 mm, along the radial path of the disk. At this new radial location, again the disk may rotate one time or many times to collect data from the sensor region before the laser-detector optical head is again moved a predetermined radial increment outward along the disk. This process is repeated until the entire sensor region or a predetermined portion of the sensor region has been interrogated by the laser-detector optical head.

The results from this experiment are illustrated in FIGS. 29A and 29B. The vertical lines of different gray scale of the intensity graph correspond to the signal intensity of the reflected light after it has interacted with the reference gray-scale pattern of FIG. 28. The ordinate of FIG. 29A corresponds to the number of radial increments or outward movements of the laser-detector optical head required to interrogate the entire sensor region of the disk. In FIG. 29A, the non-uniform spacing of the vertical lines is due to the fact that the spinning speed of the disk relative to the laser-detector optical head increases as the laser-detector optical head moves outward along the radial path of the disk. As a result, the spacing of the data as a function of time increases as the number of radial increments or outward movements of the laser-detector optical head increases. It is known that the spinning speed of the disk typically increases as the optical detector moves outward along the radial paths of the disk. As a result, unless the sampling rate is adjusted to compensate for the changing spinning speed of the disk, the scanning results may become distorted as shown by the non-uniform spacing of the gray-scale vertical lines in FIG. 29A. To compensate for the distortion, the sampling rate of the A/D converter can be periodically changed as a function of the radial position of the laser-detector optical head according to Equation 1 above. In this way, the scanning capabilities of the present invention were improved as evidenced by the uniform spacing of the gray-scale lines in the scanning results of FIG. 29B. Another option for achieving uniform spacing of the gray-scale lines may be to keep the spinning speed of the disk constant during the scanning process.

The system of the present invention may collect a data stream starting at any random location. For example, after the disk table of contents is read, the processor can instruct the drive to access data at any random logical block address on the disk. In this method, data collection does not depend on a trigger and can be initiated at any time. The disk includes a digital data section and a sensor section including a plurality of sensor regions. Since data is recorded on the spiral track from the inside of the disk to the outside, the digital data section is located on the innermost part of the disk. The digital data section may include information on the locations of the sensor regions, types of sensor regions, or other pre-recorded baseline parameters stored in memory. Sample data from a sensor region is then correlated to the pre-recorded baseline parameter to reveal quantitative information about the sensor region.

Once the data stream has been captured, the control software allows the operator to select a representative region 50 for advanced data processing as shown by the selection window on the visual map of FIG. 30. The selected data stream can be displayed as a series of waveforms 70 (shown as dotted lines in FIG. 32A). The dotted lines 70 are averages of 30 waveforms collected over a constant region of the disk. This data stream of waveforms 70 was captured continuously during inspection of the gray-scale pattern of FIG. 28 (for example during n=30 revolutions of the disk). As a result, there could be over 100,000 data points in the data stream. Improvement in signal-to-noise ratio can be achieved by averaging the scanning results from a representative region of the data stream along a particular gray-scale line or sensor region of the optical disk. If we consider the selected area in FIG. 30 as an array of individual measurements of the same object, we can use ensemble averaging to minimize fluctuations and improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Since the signal is constant, it is known that the signal will increase directly with an increased number of measurements (n). By comparison, however, it is known that fluctuations caused by random noise will increase as the square root (sqrt) of the number of measurements. Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio will improve with increased measurements according to the following relationship: n/sqrt n; or simply, sqrt n.  Equation 2:

As best shown in FIG. 32B, averaging the scanning results from a particular sensor region produces an average waveform 72. Further increases in signal-to-noise ratios can be achieved by allowing the disk to spin many times at each radial increment, and then averaging the results from each rotation of the disk to produce an average waveform 72. FIG. 32B illustrates an average waveform 72 produced by averaging the scanning results from a constant location of the sensor region. Here, by minimizing the variation in the detected data stream corresponding to each sensor region, the averaging of scanning results along a particular sensor region further improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected signal. This averaging method is achieved with inventive control software incorporating signal processing algorithms, which locate a pattern within each data stream, and then extract subsets of data, each of which corresponds to a single revolution. As best shown in FIG. 32B, the subsets are summed or averaged according to Equation 2 as discussed above to obtain an average waveform 72. If incomplete subsets exist at the start or end of the data stream, they are discarded. As a result of using the developed signal and data processing method, the achieved reduction in the noise level was found to be more than 5 times.

In accordance with our previous patent applications, various signal-processing and data processing approaches were developed to further improve signal measurement precision. The developed approaches were based on the selection of an appropriate region, position, and size around the sensor region. The precision-improvement data analysis can include, but is not limited to, summing, averaging, Fourier filtering, Savitsky-Golay filtering, and any other data analysis technique known in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 27A, there is shown a flow chart summarizing an improved method for carrying out quantitation of environmental parameters in accordance with the present invention. In initial step 101A, parameters including the radial position (in millimeters), radial increment (mm), and total points for the disk are set. This information effectively directs the light source to scan the entire surface of the disk, starting at the innermost radius and progressively moving outwards in specified increments of radial distance. In step 102, each dimensional location in millimeters is converted to a corresponding logical block address (LBA), thereby allowing the optical head to “seek” each specified LBA so as to record an average waveform for each radial position. In the next step 103, an average waveform and intensity plot can be displayed on a graph during data acquisition. Finally, in step 104, the captured data is saved to computer memory, for example as a 2-dimentional array (e.g., spreadsheet) of analog detector response (e.g., volts), as a sequence of voltage-time waveforms, or is saved and displayed as 2-dimensional intensity map image, or any combination of these.

An alternative method for carrying out quantitation of environmental parameters is summarized in the flow chart of FIG. 27B. Here, initial step 101B provides a table of predetermined radial positions describing the precise location of specified sensor regions, which can then be read directly from a data file. In order to create a table of predetermined radial positions, a small single absorbing mark is placed on an optical media disk, and the radial location of this mark is precisely measured. The disk is then placed in an optical media drive, and the RF output is monitored using an oscilloscope. A command is issued to the optical pickup head to move to logical block address (LBA) zero. The LBA is incremented, the command is issued again, and the oscilloscope trace is examined for the presence of the absorbing region. This procedure is repeated until the absorbing region begins to be seen in the oscilloscope trace. The LBA corresponding to that physical location is now known. Next, a second small single absorbing mark is placed at a different radial location on the disk, and the above process is repeated to find the LBA corresponding to the second region. After similarly measuring 6 to 10 regions at various radial locations, a general relation between LBA and radial location can be defined, either in a table, or as a polynomial equation.

By utilizing this pre-programmed table of radial positions for describing the location of particular sensor regions, the control software is effective to position the optical head at predetermined locations of the disk, allowing the optical head to examine only the regions of a disk that contain sensor regions or regions of interest. In this way, the optical head is allowed to bypass areas of the disk that are not of interest, thereby improving the timing and efficiency of data collection. The steps of this process are generally illustrated in FIG. 27B. This method provides advantage in timing and efficiency in that the optical head only moves to specific regions of the disk that are in need of examination, and then the corresponding optical signals can be measured from these locations only. The captured data can be stored and displayed as in the first mode described above, recognizing that gaps in the data must be accounted for when displaying a 2-dimensional intensity map. Gaps in the data can be accounted for based on the radial information provided during the initial reading of the table of radial positions obtained during initial step 101B. It is understood that a variety of software designs could be used to accomplish the above tasks without undue experimentation. Writing code for such software is within the ability of one skilled in the art of computer programming.

It is to be further understood that, because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures may be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed. Given the teachings of the present invention provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms of basic input/output systems (BIOS), hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, integrated circuit (IC) chips, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the present invention may be implemented in software as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device. The application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising any suitable architecture. Preferably, the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units 222 (CPU), a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM) 227, and input/output (I/O) device(s) 224 such as, keyboard, cursor control device (e.g., a mouse) and display device (not shown). The CPU can be a microprocessor of the kind available from Intel Corporation. An internal system clock is also provided for performing temporal analysis as well as automating drive movements at specific times. The computer platform also includes an operating system and micro-instruction code. The various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the micro-instruction code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof) which is executed via the operating system. Source code is one method of viewing a computer program. The source code is compiled to object code and is executed by the computer. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional storage device and printing device.

The source code developed for the present invention was compiled to object code, for example with a Borland Delphi compiler, and was executed by the controlling computer. With these instructions, the controlling computer can issue commands to the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) to position the optical head in the DVD or CD optical drive. The seek command will cause the optical head to be positioned at a specified Logical Block Address (LBA). Because logical blocks are located sequentially along the recorded spiral data track, it is possible to move the optical head to a precise radial location by specifying the appropriate LBA. In the case of a personal computer running Microsoft Windows®, the invention includes new software written to make use of the DeviceIoControl function and the SCSI Pass Through command. The required SCSI commands have been compiled into a dynamically linked library (DLL). The source code file for the SCSI command software is written for use with the Borland Delphi compiler. The LabVIEW programs are virtual instrument (*.vi) files.

A computer program that performs such a series of tasks in accordance with the present disclosure can be written in numerous ways. The program can be written in different programming languages, such as C++, Visual Basic, etc. Within a single programming language, such a series of tasks can be coded in several ways. Writing code for such software is within the skill of the art, not requiring undue experimentation, once the software's functions as described herein have been disclosed.

The connection to the optical signal was made inside of the DVD/CD disk device. Depending on the manufacturer of the device, this connection may be made to test points labeled “RF”, “Raw RF”, “RF Out”, etc. The most useful signal is obtained immediately following the optical detector and before any equalization or gain compensation has been applied. This signal is brought outside of the disk drive on a separate wire and connected to the input of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), such as National Instruments model 6023E (PCI slot interface) or National Instruments DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 (PCMCIA interface). The sampling rate of the ADC should be greater that 100,000 samples per second in order to obtain sufficient data points to define changes in the output of the optical detector originating from the sensor regions. It does not need to resolve the bits in the digital data signal.

The data from the ADC was processed, recorded, and displayed on the controlling computer using a high-level language such as LabVIEW from National Instruments. LabVIEW is also used to issue SCSI commands to control the optical head through the previously mentioned DLL. Data quality can be improved by adding a trigger mark on the disk that passes by the optical detector just prior to the passing of the sensor region. When the trigger mark is detected in the optical detector signal, data collection commences and continues for a specified period of time. This enables the measurement of sensor regions that cause only small signal changes. Data quality can also be improved by averaging multiple waveforms collected at a specified LBA.

As described above, drive 200 of FIG. 2A included an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 220 coupled to the optical detector 210 for measuring intensity values of the reflected light as an RF signal. Output from the A/D converter 220 is sent to processor 222 for rendering measured intensity values on a display 224 or via an audio means 226.

For example, the analog signal, e.g., measured intensity of light, was coupled to an input of an analog-to-digital conversion circuit such as a National Instruments DAQCard model AI-16XE-50, and the digital data is read into a personal computer. Alternatively, the analog signal may be acquired from an analog-to-digital circuit inside a modified optical drive or externally from, for example, a digital oscilloscope. The intensity and duration of a laser pulse required for quantitative activation will be dependent on numerous factors; namely, the power and frequency of the laser, the amount of power actually delivered to the sensor regions by the system optics, the size of the sensor region, and the photochemical properties of the sensor material chosen by the practitioner. Determination of the most effective power level and pulse length can be determined by known methods, for example those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,854 and is within the ability of one skilled in the relevant arts.

It is to be further understood that, because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures may be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed. Given the teachings of the present invention provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention.

Furthermore, the system may be employed to detect phase changes of materials deposited onto the disk. As disclosed in our previous applications, the system 200 may include an inductive heater that heats a specific sensor region on the optical disk. The sensor region is heated and a phase change is indicated by a change in light reflection, turbidity, etc. Phase detection will work with solid materials coated in the sensor region, or in contained solutions, e.g., for dew-point/bubble-point detection. Similarly, plasticization, crystallization, dissolution and/or freezing will be detectable. In addition to intensity changes, other measurable properties of light can be used for quantitation in the sensor region such as light polarization state, phase, and the direction of the propagation of light after interaction with the sensor region. For example, the system may be employed to detect phase changes of materials deposited onto the disk.

In combination with the methods of the present invention, the optical disk drive 200 may include a vapor induction port for drawing a vapor including a compound into the drive to expose the vapor to the optical disk. The vapor induction port (not shown) was fabricated by creating an opening in the front panel of the optical drive. The opening was approximately 3 mm in diameter, although larger or smaller openings could be used to obtain the same results. A vapor delivery line was then connected to the vapor induction port to facilitate passage of environmental vapors or other analytes into the disk drive so as to expose the sensor regions to such vapors and/or analytes when the optical disk is located inside the disk drive. Optionally, a fan may be employed to facilitate drawing the vapor into the induction port. To measure the impact of environmental parameters on the sensor regions of the disk, data can be collected and a baseline can be recorded from the sensor region before the disk is exposed to the environment. After the disk is exposed to the environment for a period of time (for example a fraction of a second, a few seconds, minutes, hours, or days), data can again be recorded from the sensor region. Any differences between the results collected during these different time periods can be correlated to indicate presence and quantitation of analytes and other environmental parameters to which the sensor regions have been exposed. Such data can then be recorded and displayed as a 3-D data array including units of elapsed time between measurements. Also measurement of a baseline can be omitted from the sensor region before the disk is exposed to the environment to simplify the disk operation.

Accordingly, the developed system also contains means for displaying data as a three-dimensional data array, where data is a two-dimensional intensity map as a function of exposure of sensor regions to analytes and other environmental parameters where this exposure is performed in the drive and recorded during the disk readout. Nonlimiting examples of other environmental parameters are temperature, humidity, and gases such as ozone, carbon dioxide, and any known gases that can be entered into the disk drive during the drive operation. These environmental parameters change the optical properties of sensor regions after these regions were exposed to analytes. Such changes improve the precision and accuracy of quantified signal. These improvements are produced from the change of signal from the regions because of the exposure to environmental parameters and relation of this change to sensor condition.

In still further aspects of the present invention, FIGS. 33A and 33B illustrate how a visual image generated by the present sensor system may be used to identify shapes and measured sizes of sensor regions. Here, the invention permits scanning of complicated geometrical patterns such as GE logo 82 which covers a portion of the optical disk as depicted in FIG. 33A. The scanning process begins once the optical detector is positioned proximate the innermost portion of the sensor region (i.e., GE logo). The ordinate of FIG. 33B corresponds to the number of outward radial movements required for the detector to interrogate the entire sensor region. The abscissa of FIG. 33B corresponds to the time increments required to pass the laser-detector over the sensor region. The time increments are measured during the spinning of the disk. Depending upon user controlled preferences, such as the total time allotted to collect the data and the accuracy and precision required of the desired results, the disk drive control software of the present invention can be programmed to rotate the disk one time, or more than one time at each radial location, and multiple times to record multiple 2-D images of same sensor regions as functions of time. Using the developed software, quantitative scanning capabilities of complicated geometrical patterns are easily achieved. These capabilities are useful where different regions of scanned geometrical patterns provide different chemical information. Thus, upon chemical exposure, different patterns may be created, thereby providing useful visual images of complicated geometrical patterns.

An example of such possibility for a chemically sensitive pattern is depicted in FIG. 34. Each of the regions deposited on the optical disk can be sensitive for a certain chemical species or/and its concentration. The wavelengths of these determinations can be CD reading wavelength (780 nm) or DVD reading wavelength (650 nm). Upon exposure, the certain regions are determined using the scanning algorithm.

A computer program that performs such a series of tasks in accordance with the present disclosure can be written in numerous ways. The program can be written in different programming languages, such as C++, Visual Basic, etc. Within a single programming language, such a series of tasks can be coded in several ways. Writing code for such software is within the skill of the art, not requiring undue experimentation, once the software's functions as described herein have been disclosed.

Thus, the present invention discloses a new system and method of accomplishing the above tasks, and computer programming that, when executed by a computer, accomplishes these tasks.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in typical embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present disclosure. As such, further modifications and equivalents of the disclosure herein disclosed may occur to persons skilled in the art using no more than routine experimentation, and all such modifications and equivalents are believed to be within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims. 

1. A system for quantitative analysis of environmental parameters, said system comprising: a disk drive for supporting and rotating an optical disk, said optical disk having a data track with at least one sensor region disposed thereon; a light source for directing light onto said optical disk, allowing said directed light to interact with said at least one sensor region; an optical detector for detecting said interacted light and for generating a corresponding signal indicative of a measurable property of said interacted light; an analog-to-digital converter for quantifying said signal from said optical detector; recording means for recording data about a state of said quantified signal; reference means for correlating said data to a condition of said at least one sensor region; signal processing means for improving precision of said quantified signal; display means for displaying said data; and positioning means for moving said light source and said optical detector along said data track of said optical disk; wherein said recording means captures a data stream over a plurality of revolutions of said optical disk at each radial increment of said at least one sensor regions, and said signal processing means locates a pattern within said data stream, extracts a plurality of subsets of data which corresponds to single revolutions of the optical disk, and averages said subsets of data to obtain an average waveform.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes means for locating said at least one sensor region relative to said data track, and means for moving said light source and said optical detector to specified positions of said data track where said at least one sensor region is located.
 3. The system as recited in claim 2, said system further comprising means for exposing said sensor region to at least one said environmental parameter.
 4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said recording means includes means for continuously recording data about a period of time after said sensor region has been exposed to said environmental parameter.
 5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein said display means includes means for displaying said data as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional data array, plotting a sequence of said data on a graph, displaying said data as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional intensity map, and combinations thereof.
 6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said disk drive includes an induction port for drawing said at least one environmental parameter into said disk drive so as to expose said sensor region to said environmental parameter.
 7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said analog-to-digital converter has a sampling rate of at least 100,000 samples per second.
 8. The system as recited in claim 7, said system further comprising means for changing said sampling rate based on a rotating speed of said optical disk.
 9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said measurable property is intensity, phase, polarization angle, or wavelength of said interacted light.
 10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said system further comprises at least one signal filter to increase said signal-to-noise ratio of said signal.
 11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein said signal filter is an about one-microsecond low-pass signal filter.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein the recording means collects said data stream starting at any random location, averages complete subsets, and discards any incomplete subsets at the start and end of the data stream.
 13. In a system including a disk drive for supporting and rotating an optical disk, a light source for directing light onto said optical disk, an optical detector for measuring light reflected from said optical disk, a method for the optical analysis of at least one sensor region disposed on said optical disk, said method comprising the steps of: (a) moving said light source and said optical detector along a data track of said optical disk; (b) directing light onto said optical disk, allowing said directed light to interact with a portion of said at least one sensor region; (c) detecting said interacted light; (d) generating a signal corresponding to a measurable property of said interacted light and processing said signal by rotating said disk a plurality of revolutions at each said position so as to collect a data stream at each said position, locating a pattern within said data stream, extracting a plurality of subsets of data which correspond to single revolutions of the optical disk, and averaging said subsets of data to obtain an average waveform so as to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of said signal; (e) quantifying said signal; (f) recording data about a state of said quantified signal; (g) correlating said data to a condition of said portion of said sensor region; (h) repeating steps (a) through (g) until all portions of said at least one sensor region have been interacted with said light beam; and (i) displaying said data.
 14. The method as recited in claim 13, said method further comprising the steps of: exposing said at least one sensor region to at least one environmental parameter; detecting a change in said detected light corresponding to a reaction of said at least one sensor region to said environmental parameter; and correlating said reaction to a condition of said environmental parameter to which said at least one sensor region has been exposed.
 15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said moving step (a) includes locating said at least one sensor region relative to said data track, and moving said light source and said optical detector to specified positions of said data track where said at least one sensor region is located.
 16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said recording step (f) includes continuously recording data about an elapsed time after said sensor region has been exposed to said at least one environmental parameter.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said displaying step (i) includes displaying said data as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional data array, plotting a sequence of said data on a graph, displaying said data as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional signal map, and combinations thereof.
 18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of providing an induction port for drawing said at least one environmental parameter into said disk drive so as to expose said sensor region to said environmental parameter when said disk is located inside said disk drive.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18, said method further comprising the step of saving said data as a spreadsheet file.
 20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said quantifying step (e) includes sampling said signal at a sampling rate of at least about 100,000 samples per second.
 21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said sampling rate changes based on a rotating speed of said optical disk.
 22. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the recording means collects said data stream starting at any random location, averages complete subsets, and discards any incomplete subsets at the start and end of the data stream. 